5 out of 5 stars
Those who follow me on the various social media networks out there will know that I buy a lot of books. Far more than I can realistically read, but they make me happy and as far as I see it, a home without books is just a house…
Robin Ince also buys a lot of books. Like hundreds of them a year. He will trawl charity and second-hand bookshops looking for anything that piques his interest. If he likes the look of it, he buys it. Knowing what my house looks like, I do wonder just what his house looks like…
This wonderful book is the account of his travels around the independent bookshops of the UK promoting one of his books and a record of the books that he finds and brings home on his tour. He reads far more fiction than I do, but he has a similar principle, if it looks interesting then he will buy it. I do this with non-fiction books…
I am a bibliomaniac.
There is no cure and I am not seeking one.
Whilst we have similar philosophies on books, I don’t think that I have ADHD like he does, but I do think that I have autistic traits hence why I can see the parallels that I have with him. He is a big fan of independent bookshops which will become very evident if you read this book, and I am too. They offer an alternative curated selection of books that reflects the interest of the bookseller, rather than me feeling that I on the receiving end of a corporate marketing machine. If you have read White Spines by Nicholas Royle, then this is a must-read for you.
Zounds! You’re forcing me to add yet another book to my wishlist! Given Robin Ince regularly shares a stage with Brian Cox on the Infinite Monkey Cage, I expect this book-obsessed books to be a cut above in terms of wit and intelligence.
My aim is to make other people’s TBRs as long as mine. It is brilliant, hence why it was my book of the year for 2023
I loved this, as you already know, and really enjoyed the event he did hosted by our local bookshop. How many of the shops in it did you know? I found fewer than I thought, but some lovely favourites.
I would love to meet hime one day he is such a fascinating and generous man